In our first week in Worcester we saw many new things,
obviously, we are in a new place. To try and describe everything that we did
and saw would take far too long. For me the highlights of my week were easy to
identify, and they included:
"Hello to my Health"
This is a 5 week education programme for
Diabetics, to teach them about Diabetes and how to deal with all the aspects
that come along with it- complications, nutrition, medication etc. There are
various members of the team that do the education, they include Doctors, nurses
and Dietitians.
Watching them interact with the patients was
amazing, the energy that they had and the way they connected to the patients
was truly inspiring. One could see that every person in the room ,Dr's and
patients, were having fun. I think that everyone walked away having learnt
something. As Health Promotion is a passion of mine I hope to one day be able
to conduct education in the way "Hello to my Health" is done. They
put theory that could be so complex into such a basic and understandable form,
whether it be through songs or ice breakers, quick explanations, actions or
questions. It just goes to show that the more interactive you are with people
and the more pure interest you show in them as an individual the more they will
respect and listen to the advise you have to share with them. Cannot wait for the
next session, "Hello, hello, hello to my Health".
Ceres, Growth Monitoring
Children. What did I experience? My senses
were definitely in fill use this day. From seeing lots of cute little faces
with snot noses, to hearing the adorable laughter of a child and the not so
adorable crying of some(not wanting to be measured) , to having felt little
hands in my own hands and in my hair as well as smelling the odd dirty nappy,
I'd say my senses had a full day of experiences.
Growth monitoring is an incredible way to
prevent so many problems, such as early recognition of malnutrition and
stunting to helping a child ensure they have the best brain development through
Vitamin A supplementation etc.
For me Growth monitoring is one of my favorite
parts of Dietetics, we have the ability to make a difference in someone's life
that could have caused unnecessary speed bumps in their later life, as well as
the fact that I really enjoy being around children and interacting with them.
Needless to say this day was greatly appreciated and enjoyed in every way.
One of my biggest goals in life would be to
make a difference in as many children's lives as possible as they are our future,
and we need to make sure our future is healthy and ready to be the best they
can be, to allow them to grow.
It was also nice to see the different areas
within the Winelands area, the drive was spectacular and even allowed us to
have a group photo with a scenic background.
Tut in Hermanus
Hermanus is always such a special place to
go to, where I have so many memories and where a lot of my motivation to
continue dietetics came from. So to be back there was like a breath of
motivation, especially considering we did such fun things.
Although "Community Profiles" are
quite a mission and sometimes finding all the information is a bit harder and
takes a bit longer than we thought it would, I think it is a very necessary task to do in the beginning
of the block. As the block goes on you will learn more about your community and
how it functions, but to have that general background information of the
community you are working in before you decide on what your plans are is
greatly beneficial in ensuring that what you are changing or doing is actually
needed.
Making a breast, a simple easy to make one,
was so much fun and I think it is such a great way to help with consultations
of showing how proper attachment should occur as well as the anatomy of the
breast. Just in general a brilliant idea to help us make it easier for moms to understand.
Doing case studies on problems mothers occur
during breastfeeding is a really good way for us to discuss and understand how
to handle these situations in "real life". Especially because we were
able to discuss it with someone who has experienced breastfeeding . Breastfeeding
truly is an incredible "gift" the body is able to provide to ones
child, every time we discuss breastfeeding I become very passionate and also, I
suppose in a way, irritated that some moms even though are well educated seem
to still believe that formula feeding is best. I mean breast milk comes from
you, it is made by you specifically for your baby what better nutrition could
you possibly give your child?
General orientation of the Worcester community
A very big part of understanding ones community, I
think, is to see the different aspects of the community(housing, shops,
schools, roads etc) for yourself. To explore the streets of each sub-district
and to go into the shops from where people can buy their food can only benefit
us in understanding how communities function and survive. Having a general "map" orientation
of a place in which I am truly helps me to see where I want to go and what
goals could be achievable for that community.
Week 1, done and dusted, well more like done and snowed.
Adjusting to the cold has been interesting, Cape Town now seems so warm even
though it is only a beautiful scenic 1.15 hours away. Being away from
"home" allows one to really appreciate what they have, but at the same
to know that the amount which we will grow from Ukwanda will help us to blossom
into better people and better Dietitians makes being away not all that bad.
